Encephalartos horridus (Jacq.) Lehm.
El Cabo blue cycad
Scientific name: Encephalartos horridus (Jacq.) Lehm.
Family: Zamiaceae
Origin: South Africa
Year planted: Unknown
Flowering: May – July
Description
Cycads are similar to palm trees, but older and smaller, with a trunk that does not exceed a meter in height. There are more than 200 different species of cycads.
It is a dioecious plant, which means that there are male and female specimens. The leaves are long and pinnate, they can reach 1 meter. Different greenish leaves come out of a central nerve.
The flowers are born in groups (inflorescence), and are shaped like a red-brown cone. The female inflorescences are larger than the male ones.
The fruit is shaped like a pine cone, and it falls apart when it ripens. Thus, the seeds spread little by little.
Marimurtra’s specimens
In Marimurtra you will find this type of cycads throughout the garden: in the desert area of South Africa, at the entrance of the garden, and in the area of the cycads of the Mediterranean garden.
The specimens do not even reach 2 meters in height. The color change of the leaves can be observed: from dark green when they are young to glaucous when they are adults
Did you know…?
This species is used more and more in gardens, because it is a rare species and has very beautiful glaucous colors. But it is a protected species.
You have to take care of it because it grows very slowly, and don’t illegally extract it from the places where it grows naturally.